Cloth-stretching machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. E. WINDLE. CLOTH STRETGHING MAGHINE.

No. 459,235. Patented Sept. 8, 1891.

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J. E. WINDLE. CLOTH STRETGHING MACHINE.

No. 459,235, Patented Sept. 8,1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. \VINDLE, OF NORTH GRAFTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTH-=STRETCHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,235, dated September 8, 1891.

Application filed August 21, 1890. Serial No. 362,602. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN E. XVINDLE, of North Grafton, county of )Vorcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Cloth-Stretching Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures 011 the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to stretch cloth or fabric more especially on its way to the usual tenter-hooks of cloth stretching or tentering machines, the said hooks being carried by chain-links orin other usual manner.

The apparatus employed by me comprises several elements, among which is an uncurling-finger, which occupies a position diagonal to the trail of the cloth, and a toothed gravitating stretching pawl or pawls mounted, preferably,in such manner as also to be moved in the direction of the feed of the cloth while in engagement therewith, and a toothed surface and worm-toothed stretching-rolls.

)Noolen cloth in its preparation for market has to be washed, dyed, and fulled, and to facilitate this operation the ends of the web are sewed together and the web is fed between squeezingrolls, fulling-rolls, &c., such operations tending to curl or make the selvage edges irregular, and these edges have to be uncurled and the cloth has to be partially stretched to put it properly on the centerhooks of one or another form of tentering or clothstretching machine, which finally stretches the web widthwise.

In this present instance I have chosen to embody my invention in connection with a tentering-machine such as shown in United States Patent No. 295,155.

Figure 1 in plan view represents my in.

vention as applied to one side only of the class of machine shown in said patent, the dotted lines showing the edge of a piece of cloth. Fig. 2 is an end elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 1, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, an elevation looking at it in the direction of the arrow 2, Fig. 1, the tenter-chain being omitted; Fig. i, a partial elevation in the direction of the arrow 3, Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 are different views of one of the stretchingpawls and cloth-supporting grid. Fig. 7 is a top view of the grid.

It will be understood that the parts shown in the drawings will be duplicated at opposite sides of the machine.

The frame-work A, which may be of suitable shape to support the working parts, has

suitable bearings for the various shafts and moving devices.

The chain D, composed of blocks jointed together and having pins upon which may be impaled the edge of the fabric to be stretched, and the sprocket-wheel O for carrying it are and may be all as in the said Patent No. 295,155, to which reference may be had; or instead of the said chain I may employ any other usual form of cloth-stretching tenter on a pivoted stud a on a carriage (6 mounted and free to be reciprocated upon a track a, the lower end of which is shaped and bored to leave a sleeve-like hub a, which is extended through an upright Z) or bar rising from a portion Z), secured to or forming part of the frame-work. The sleeve 0. is threaded, as at 7, (see Fig. 1,) and receives upon it the nut S, which is turned up against the bearing Z), so as to clamp the track in any angular position desired.

The sleeve a forms a long bearing for the shaft 0, upon which is secured the drivingpulley c, which is driven in any usual manner. This shaft has a crank 0 which is connected by a crank-pin c to a like crank c,

attached to a shaft 0 in the same line with the shaft 0, the said shafts and cranks forming one shaft.

The shaft 0 has a bevel-pinion d, which engages a bevel-pinion d on a shaft (Z having secured to it not only a pinion d, but a worm-gear 10, (partially shown in Fig. 3,) and loose on the end of the said shaft (Z is a clothholding roll cl, which may be made of wood and provided with usual temple-teeth or pinpoints. The pinion (Z engages a pinion e, fast on a shaft 6, directly above and parallel to the shaft (1 the shaft e also having fast .upon it a Worm-toothed wheel the wormcloth from toward its center line to its sel-,

Vage edge, while the holding-roller d engages the body of the cloth, I have located a selvage-holding roll f, it being, preferably, a cylinder of wood having needle-pointed teeth,

7' the cylinder being free to rotate on a horizontal stud f, adjustably held by a nut f in an upright or stand f forming part of the frame-work.

Each stretching-pawl has a point or prong 12 to engage the cloth F, lying upon the grid B, when the said pawl is moved from the position Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6, further movement of the pawl in the direction indicated by the said two figures stretching the cloth and passing it under the roll f, which retains the cloth substantially in its stretched position, the selvage passing beyond the roll f between the worm-toothed wheels 10 and 10 where the selvage of the cloth is acted upon and scraped, so as to take out from it any curls or wrinkles preparatory to the said selvage being impaled upon the usual pins of the chain D, before referred to.

The pivoted grid has an extension B", (see Fi s. 2, 3, and 7,) through which is extended loosely a screw 13, the said screw being turned into an upright B a spiral spring 14 surrounding the said'screw'between its head and the extension 13.

It will be understood that the cloth being stretched is made to travel continuously, or substantially so, through the machine, and while the points 12 are in engagement with the cloth and the ends of the pawls 5 are between the plates forming the grid the said grid must turn about its pivot B in the direction of the travel of the cloth, and at this time the spring 14. yields; but as soon as the pawls a are lifted or drawn back so that the prongs l2 retire from the cloth, then the spring restores the grid to its normal position.

The carriage C63 referred to has jointed to it a link g, which embraces the crank-pin 0 before referred to, the rotation of the shaft 0 causing the carriage to be reciprocated.

At one side of the stand 1) and the grid I have provided the framework with a clothsupport h, (shown best in Figs. 1 and 2,) and immediately over it and at a short distance therefrom is an adjustable finger h, placed to occupy a position diagonal to the travel of the cloth, the finger being held in adjusted position by suitableset-screws 7L2. One edge of the cloth to be stretched is passed between the support h and the finger h, then over the .grid, and its end laid under the roll f, and

the machine is started, the finger acting in a preliminary manner to smooth out the curls and wrinkles in the edge of the cloth, and thereafter the edge first caught by the gravitating pawls and further stretched and passed under the rollf, and from thence the edge is passed between the worm-wheels, which yet further wipe and manipulate and stretch and smooth the edge of the cloth before it goes upon the tenter-chains.

This invention is not limited to the employment of all the devices shown, as excellent results may be gained by the omission of the parts h, h, and f, and in some instances cloth may be passed directly from the grid to the tenter-chains or to the roll f and the latter roll deliver the cloth to the tenterchains.

While the wormgears 10 and 1O act upon the edge of the cloth the needle-pointed teeth of the loose roll (1 hold the cloth a little back from its edge and prevent it from moving laterally under the action of the wheels 10 10 This invention is not limited to the particular pitch of the teethof the worm-gears.

I claim 1. In a cloth-stretching machine, the grid, the track, the carriage, means for reciprocat ing the carriage on the track, and the gravi tating pawls attached to the carriage and provided with pins or points to engage the cloth near its edge and stretch the same laterally, substantially as described.

2. The stand I), the grid pivoted ator near one end, and the track, combined with the gravitating pawls having pins or points to engage the cloth near its edge, and with means to reciprocate the said pawls transversely to the direction of the feed of the cloth, the grid and pawls being free to be moved with the cloth in the direction of the feed of the same while the pins or points of the pawls are in engagement with the cloth, substantially as described.

3. The grid and the gravitating pawls having pins or points to engage the cloth near its edge and means to actuate the said pawls, combined with the support 7L and the diagonally-placed finger h to bear upon the cloth near its edge preparatory to the action of the pawls upon the cloth, substantially as described.

4. The grid and the gravitating pawls having pins or points to engage the cloth near its edge and means to actuate the said pawls,

=combined with the toothed roll f, to operate substantially as described.

5. The grid and the gravitating pawls having pins or points to engage the cloth near its edge and means to actuate the said pawls, combined with the toothed wheels above and below the cloth to wipe across the edges of the same to smooth out the wrinkles therein, substantially as described.

6. The grid and the gravitating pawls havlng pins or points to engage the cloth near its edge and means to actuate the said pawls, combined with the worm-toothed wheels above IIO and below the cloth to Wipe across the edges bined with a tentering chain to operate subof the same to smooth out the wrinkles therestantially as described.

in and with a toothed roll to hold the cloth In testimony whereof I have signed my While the said Worm-toothed Wheels act upon name to this specification in the presence of it, substantially as described. two subscribing witnesses.

7. Acloth-stretchin machineeontaining the T T followinginstrumenthlities, viz: a grid, gravi- Jon) INDLE' tating pawls having pins or points to enter the cloth near its edge and stretch the same, and means to actuate the said pawls, com- Witnesses:

GEO. W. GREGORY, EDITH F. GUILD. 

